PROJECT LIFESAVER IS ACTUALLY A REAL LIFESAVER

At a time of non-stop gnashing of teeth about budget cuts, toddler deaths, school funding woes, and human smuggling, it’s hard not to feel pessimistic. Enter Project Lifesaver.

You may have noticed a recent rise in the media “all calls” as a result of the increase of missing people, particularly seniors, in our community. In the cases of Philip Noonan and Kay Bragat, searches ended in tragedy and heartbreak.

Statistics Canada tells us that our senior population is rapidly growing. The population growth rate for the over-64 set increased by 3.5 per cent last year — four times faster than the population at large. These numbers get larger each year.

With a rising aging population, dementia also becomes a more prevalent issue. Unfortunately, with dementia comes confusion and wandering from home. Finding a missing person is more complicated than simply looking. Even without the suspicion of a crime, the issue of a missing person is placed directly at the doorstep of the Saskatoon Police Service.

Missing persons are a difficult issue for city police here. Being labelled the crime capital of Canada puts extreme pressure on them to be focused on crime and crime prevention. Locating missing people does not lower the crime rate, but police cannot ignore a missing-person report; nor do we want them to. However, the community often does not understand the significant resources that go into a search.

Once a search activation is put in place, at least three or four patrol officers are out looking. It is literally a door to door search. Officers, search and rescue volunteers and often friends and family walk from house to house, back yard to back yard. Moreover, the search is dependent on verbal information from family, friends and neighbours, which can quickly become useless if hours have gone by before someone notices the family member missing.

In addition to the foot patrol officers, at least five or six members of the Public Safety Unit (PSU), who have specific training in search and rescue, are often looking as well. The police plane and fire department are also often summoned. If any of the officers called in are not on shift at the time the person goes missing, these officers are now working overtime hours. It’s not uncommon for a search to go for 12 or more hours. The price tag can become quite dramatic.

The other factor is community time. Police often call on Saskatoon Search and Rescue, which is completely staffed by volunteers.

Finding a loved one quickly is critical, and no one denies the necessity of doing so. However, like everything else, the financial cost has to be considered, and possibly mitigated, somehow.

Media reports from last week say the Saskatoon Police Service Foundation (SPSF) is now stepping in to assist. This relatively new organization is getting ready to raise money to help with projects and equipment that would support the police and other emergency service providers. The concept is very similar to hospital foundations. It’s an exceptional organization, chaired by community heavyweight Vera Pezer. This group’s members have set their sights on their first project: Project Lifesaver.

Project Lifesaver is a bracelet attached to a loved one’s ankle or wrist. If the person wanders off and is reported missing, it emits an individualized tracking signal that registers on a GPS system. Police can locate the person in minutes. Timing is critical when you are searching for someone who is elderly and frail in a place where winter temperatures can reign for eight months of the year. As was the case in the Noonan and Bragat incidents, missing people don’t have all night for someone to find them. Imagine a world where the push of a button can locate your scared, shivering loved one in minutes.

The bracelets aren’t cheap, and anyone with a low income may not be able to afford one. Bringing this service to everyone who needs it will be difficult, and the SPSF and Saskatoon Search and Rescue are stepping in to help.

Caring and compassionate people make Saskatoon strong, and it’s nice to be reminded these folks still exist amid the turmoil around us.